Geography Commons^™

A 155-Year Tree-Ring Based Record Of Warm And Dry Snow Droughts For The Cascade Range, Usa, Laura A. Dye

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Contributing 50-80% to the surface water for the region, mountain snowpack is a pillar of the hydrologic cycle in the western US, and is projected to decrease to 44% by 2100 in the Cascade Mountains alone. The western US has recently been identified as a global snow drought hot spot, exhibiting more frequent, intensified, and lengthened snow drought events in recent decades. Only recently has the need to understand the types of snow droughts and their driving mechanisms become critical to understand and quantify. Recent research suggests ‘warm’ snow droughts caused by winter precipitation falling as rain rather than snow …

On Aqueducts And Anxiety: Water Infrastructure, Ruination, And A Region-Scaled Anthropocene Imaginary, Sayd Randle

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

This paper explores popular expectations for and meanings of the U.S. West's environmental future, as articulated through recent artistic representations of the Los Angeles's expansive water provision network. Weaving together material from participant observation and readings of creative works, I show how infrastructural imagery is used to index anxieties about a future of water scarcity. Presenting familiar, currently functional water infrastructures as ruins-in-the-making, these artists use the physical stuff of water provision networks to advance critiques of longstanding modes of development and the material basis of urban-rural relations in the U.S. West. Doing so, these imagined ruins draw the global-scale …

Use Of Earth Observation Satellite Data To Guide The Implementation Of Integrated Pest And Pollinator Management (Ippm) Technologies In An Avocado Production System, Marian Adan, Elfatih M. Abdel-Rahman, Stella Gachoki, Beatrice W. Muriithi, H. Michael G. Lattorff, Vivian Kerubo, Tobias Landmann, Samira A. Mohamed, Henri E.Z. Tonnang, Thomas Dubois

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Insect pollinators provide an important ecosystem service by improving agricultural productivity. However, their populations have been declining in recent years due to excessive use of synthetic pesticides, climate and land use/land cover (LULC) changes. Climate and LULC changes have resulted in land fragmentation and consequently pollinator habitat loss. To conserve pollinators, there is a need for sustainable agricultural practices such as integrated pest and pollinator management (IPPM), which is a holistic landscape management approach that minimizes pesticides use while conserving pollinator abundance and diversity. This study aimed to use earth observation (EO) data to characterize landscape dynamics in terms of …

How Do You Visit: Identifying Addicts From Large-Scale Transit Records Via Scenario Deep Embedding, Canghong Jin, Dongkai Chen, Zhiwei Lin, Zemin Liu, Minghui Wu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Identification of individuals based on transit modes is of great importance in user tracking systems. However, identifying users in real-life studies is not trivial owing to the following challenges: 1) activity data containing both temporal and spatial context are high-order and sparse; 2) traditional two-step classifiers depend on trajectory patterns as input features, which limits accuracy especially in the case of scattered and diverse data; 3) in some cases, there are few positive instances and they are difficult to detect. Therefore, approaches involving statistics-based or trajectory-based features do not work effectively. Deep learning methods also suffer from the problem of …

Leveraging Of Hyperspectral Remote Sensing On Estimating Biomass Yield Of Moringa Oleifera Lam. Medicinal Plant, Thulani Tshabalala, Elfatih M. Abdel-Rahman, Bhekumthetho Ncube, Ashwell R. Ndhlala, Onisimo Mutanga

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Moringa oleifera Lam. is a functional plant considered to be high in nutrients as well as medicinal properties, largely utilised in most of the developing countries. Therefore, early prediction of M. oleifera biomass yield is a valuable pre- and post-harvest planning strategy for ensuring a reliable supply of the plant products and for marketing purposes. Subsequently, the objective of the current study was to explore the potential use of hyperspectral data in predicting biomass yield of different cultivars of M. oleifera. Canopy hyperspectral data were collected on five M. oleifera cultivars when they were one month and two months old …

Weedy Relations: Narratives Of Invasion And Intimacy With Tamarisk In The Chihuahuan Desert, Shannon S. Pepper

Geography ETDs

Tamarix spp., also known as salt cedar or tamarisk, is a shrub that has garnered a notorious reputation in North America as an invasive plant, with widespread policy and research advocating for its eradication in the Southwest U.S. and Northern Mexico. This study examines both governmental conservation documents and news articles to investigate narrative trends on tamarisk in the Southwestern U.S. and Northern Mexico as a contiguous region (the Chihuahuan Desert), expanding on current research to include transborder effects on the perception and management of introduced species. This paper asks: In the last 25 years, how has the movement, …

Cleavages And Electoral Support To Islamist Party In Javan Urban Areas: The Case Of Prosperous Justice Party, Andi Rahman Alamsyah

Masyarakat: Jurnal Sosiologi

Several studies have noted that electoral support for one of the Islamist parties in Indonesia, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), is mostly concentrated in urban areas. While I agree with this observation, I found that these studies did not pay adequate attention to the diversity of socio-political conditions in urban areas that contributed to the varying electoral support for PKS. One of these socio-political conditions is what Lipset and Rokkan (1967) conceptualized as cleavages (divisions of society). Based on the results of 2014 and 2019 local parliamentary elections in Javan urban areas, I argue that there are three cleavage patterns …

The Embeddedness Of Traditional Economy Transforming Towards An Alternative Economy: A Case Study Of Lumbung Pitih Nagari (Lpn) Limau Manis, West Sumatra, Indah Sari Rahmaini, Arie Sujito

Masyarakat: Jurnal Sosiologi

This article seeks to observe the modernization of economic institutions that were originally working traditionally, into alternative economic institutions that continue to apply the value of locality. Previous studies on LPN Limau Manis only discussed its role in poverty alleviation and the management of its economic organization, but did not provide a comprehensive explanation of the transformation of LPN that combines traditional and modern concepts. This article argues that the institutional modernization of LPN Limau Manis that occurs remains attached to the customary values of the Nagari society. The qualitative method was used to collect data using a case study …

Tourism Gentrification In Bali, Indonesia: A Wake-Up Call For Overtourism, I Wayan Suyadnya

Masyarakat: Jurnal Sosiologi

Many tourists destinations experience revitalisation through funding from foreign capital that is brought by gentrification. As a result, tourist areas transform into regions that are friendly toward tourists and investment. Various studies see gentrification as an expression of consumer demand, individual preferences over the law of supply and demand. However, this article argues that tourism gentrification shows a different dynamic, namely driving the significance of tourism growth that supports overtourism. This article focuses on the reason why Balinese do not feel that the phenomenon of gentrification and the development of protests are a part of the symptom of overtourism. Research …

Sentiment Analysis Of Digital Nomad In Indonesia: A Case Study In Bali, Dewi Puspita Rahayu, Ayu Kusumastuti, Wida Ayu Puspitosari

Masyarakat: Jurnal Sosiologi

The digital nomad is a new type of worker who works from a location other than a “traditional office,” with the freedom to choose where and when to work as long as they have good internet access. The presence of digital nomads has an impact on the dynamics or social changes in society. The public’s reaction to the appearance of this digital traveler was mixed. Some people believe that these new ways of working will harm the work system, but many are gradually adopt it. Bali has become one of the strategic locations and is widely used as a destination …

Our Diversity Is Our Strength: Explaining Variation In Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Emphasis In Municipal Arts And Cultural Plans, Carolyn G. Loh, Amanda Ashley, Leslie Durham, Karen Bubb

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Research Publications

Problem, Research Strategy and Findings: Municipal arts and cultural plans direct significant amounts of public investment and set far-reaching policies, as arts and culture investment becomes an increasingly widespread economic development strategy. While these plans frequently advertise the city’s diversity, they often lack specific strategies for supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion. In addition, the creation of these plans often does not involve urban planners, nor do the plans often connect to the city’s comprehensive plan or contain the types of fact bases and commitments to equity that comprehensive plans do. In this study of 64 US municipal arts and cultural …

Understanding Food Policy Councils: Lessons For Extension Partners, Gail Feenstra, Clare Gupta, David Campbell, Jennifer Sowerwine, Katherine Munden-Dixon

Journal of Extension

This paper presents findings from a survey of 34 food policy councils (FPCs) in California. The survey addressed organizational structure and functions, policy priorities and achievements, and the use of research or other information. We find that most FPCs have formed in recent years, operate with small budgets and limited or no staff, and function primarily to foster network relationships. FPCs rely on community-based knowledge more than academic research, suggesting an opportunity for Extension professionals to lend expertise. We conclude by identifying specific ways Extension professionals can support FPCs as they seek to enhance local and regional food systems.

Using Google Street View To Examine Urban Context And Green Amenities In The Global South: The Chilean Experience, Monica Haddad, Zachary Christman, Hamil Pearsall, Melinda Sanchez

School of Earth & Environment Departmental Research

This study evaluates the use of virtual, human-interpreted, field observations using Google Street View (GSV) to examine the presence of conditions that may be used to analyze green gentrification in the Global South. We propose that green gentrification is characterized by the introduction or improvement of green amenities (such as parks) as well as corresponding changes to the urban context (such as facade materials). While virtual field observations have been used to examine neighborhood context for other applications, this method has not yet been applied to the study of green gentrification, nor in the Global South. Using one urban park …

Бадхызские Архивы. Том 1, Р. И. Горелова, В. Фет

Books Published by MU Libraries in MDS

Gorelova, RI, Fet V, editors. The Badkhyz Archives, Vol. 1. Huntington, WV: Marshall University Libraries; 2021. 444 p.

This volume compiles memoirs and research information about the unique Badkhyz Natural Reserve, now in Turkmenistan, formerly at the southernmost point of the USSR. Established in 1941, the Reserve—nicknamed a Serengeti of Central Asia— housed many unique and endangered species, with an iconic wild ass, or kulan, preserved only there. The book is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Reserve and the 90th birthday of Yuri Gorelov (1931—2018), an extraordinary naturalist who worked in Badkhyz in 1956—1978. His own documentary stories, …

Emergence Of Covid-19 And Patterns Of Early Transmission In An Appalachian Sub-Region, Abbey K. Mann, Timothy A. Joyner, Ingrid E. Luffman, Megan Quinn, William Tollefson, Ashley Frazier

Journal of Appalachian Health

Background: In mid-March 2020, very few cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in the Central Blue Ridge Region, an area in Appalachia that includes 47 jurisdictions across northeast Tennessee, western North Carolina, and southwest Virginia. Authors described the emergence of cases and outbreaks in the region between March 18 and June 11, 2020.

Methods: Data were collected from the health department websites of Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia beginning in mid-March for an ongoing set of COVID-19 monitoring projects, including a newsletter for local healthcare providers and a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) dashboard. In Fall 2020, using these databases, authors …

Urban Forests And Their Potential To Combat Food Insecurity: Analyzing Foods From Street Trees In New York City, Ny, Kristen Cooney

Environment and Sustainability Summer Fellows

There is growing recognition that urban forests have the potential to combat food insecurity via their edible parts, namely fruits, berries, and nuts. Many tree species commonly planted in urban spaces have edible parts that may fulfill the nutritional needs of city residents that are food insecure, but no one has analyzed the value of city street trees to understand this potential. I analyzed New York City’s street trees by each species and their edible parts to measure this potential.

The Mobility Of Experiential Learning Pedagogy: Transferring Ideas And Practices From A Large- To A Small-Campus Setting, Roza Tchoukaleyska, Ken Carter, Emily Dluginski, Marilyn Forward, Andrew King, Olivia Leblanc, Christopher Ratcliffe

Geography & Environment Publications

In this article, we examine the development of a new, experiential learning human geography and planning course at a smaller campus in Newfoundland, Canada. Our interest is twofold: to consider how pedagogical approaches can be transferred between a large urban campus and a small-town location; and to examine the benefits and complications of such transfers through a reflective examination of the resulting experiential learning program. The article captures the experiences of students, faculty, and university engagement staff in the deployment of the course. From these perspectives, we situate the decision to transfer an existing program across universities, the nuances of …

Relationship Between Image Spectroscopy Spatial Resolution And Crown Level Tree Species Classification Accuracy, Andrew Richard Fritter

Dissertations and Theses

Hyperspectral imagery has become a common remote sensing data type used in tree species classifications because of its rich spectral signals that allow the detection of the variations in canopy reflectance. While high spatial resolution hyperspectral imagery provides fine spatial resolution for discerning surface objects, it has the inherent drawbacks of expensive acquisition costs, large data sizes, and can be computationally taxing to use. This study attempts to determine a relationship between crown level tree species classification accuracy and hyperspectral spatial resolution. Future tree species classification projects can make use of this relationship by targeting a spatial resolution that best …

Climate Model Evaluation Of Atmospheric Rivers Over The Contiguous United States, Ilan González-Hirshfeld

Dissertations and Theses

Atmospheric rivers (ARs)--long corridors of intense atmospheric water vapor transport--significantly influence the hydrologic cycle and regional hydrometeorological extremes across the contiguous United States (CONUS). Ongoing and future climate change may alter AR characteristics and impacts, making confident climate model projections of future change, especially at regional scales, of critical importance. In order to better constrain uncertainty in such projections of future change, we perform a comprehensive climate model evaluation of AR climatology over the CONUS. Using an established AR detection algorithm, we evaluate the representation of ARs in historical simulations (1984-2013) from a suite of models participating in the sixth …

Measuring Global Multi-Scale Place Connectivity Using Geotagged Social Media Data, Zhenlong Li, Xiao Huang, Xinyue Ye, Yuqin Jiang, Yago Martin, Huan Ning, Michael E. Hodgson, Xiaoming Li

Faculty Publications

Shaped by human movement, place connectivity is quantified by the strength of spatial interactions among locations. For decades, spatial scientists have researched place connectivity, applications, and metrics. The growing popularity of social media provides a new data stream where spatial social interaction measures are largely devoid of privacy issues, easily assessable, and harmonized. In this study, we introduced a global multi-scale place connectivity index (PCI) based on spatial interactions among places revealed by geotagged tweets as a spatiotemporal-continuous and easy-to-implement measurement. The multi-scale PCI, demonstrated at the US county level, exhibits a strong positive association with SafeGraph population movement records …

Measuring Global Multi-Scale Place Connectivity Using Geotagged Social Media Data, Zhenlong Li, Xiao Huang, Yuqin Jiang, Yago Martin, Huan Ning, Michael E. Hodgson, Xiaoming Li

Faculty Publications

Shaped by human movement, place connectivity is quantified by the strength of spatial interactions among locations. For decades, spatial scientists have researched place connectivity, applications, and metrics. The growing popularity of social media provides a new data stream where spatial social interaction measures are largely devoid of privacy issues, easily assessable, and harmonized. In this study, we introduced a global multi-scale place connectivity index (PCI) based on spatial interactions among places revealed by geotagged tweets as a spatiotemporal-continuous and easy-to-implement measurement. The multi-scale PCI, demonstrated at the US county level, exhibits a strong positive association with SafeGraph population movement records …

Resettlement Capacity Assessments For Climate Induced Displacements: Evidence From Ethiopia, Solomon Zena Walelign, Susan L. Cutter, Paivi Lujala

Faculty Publications

Climate change migration is increasing and necessitates a re-examination of resettlement planning and processes. Although evidence-based selection of host places would improve climate change resettlement outcomes, few methods for the selection of host communities exist. Consequently, the information base on which most resettlement programs select a host place is often inadequate. This article proposes an empirical methodology to assess resettlement capacity. The methodology uses a hierarchical aggregation approach, where resettlement capacity indicator values are aggregated first into sub-dimension resettlement capacity scores, then further into dimension resettlement capacity scores, and finally into an overall resettlement capacity index. The aggregation allows for …

Projections Of Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation Patterns And Associated Temperature And Precipitation Over The Pacific Northwest Using Cmip6 Models, Graham Patrick Taylor

Dissertations and Theses

Projections of 500 hPa geopotential height (Z500) patterns over the Pacific Northwest of North America and their associated surface temperature, precipitation, and frequency of occurrence are assessed using models from the 6th phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). The self-organizing maps approach is applied to reanalysis data from the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version-2 (MERRA-2) to cluster daily Z500 anomalies into 12 representative patterns that span the range of historical circulation patterns. CMIP6 data for daily Z500 anomalies are mapped to each node for historical and end of century global warming experiments, and the resulting …

Using Suitability Modelling To Determine Wildfire Ignition Risk A Case Study Of The Adirondack State Park, Dakota James Bailey

Theses - ALL

The study area centers around a 6 million acre protected area in upstate New York known as the Adirondack State Park. Spatial data are gathered and manipulated, then input into the ArcGIS Pro suitability modeler tool to construct several wildfire ignition risk models, as well as a wildfire spread risk model. Upon comparing these ignition models, contextual conclusions are formed on areas of greatest ignition risk pertaining to the individual models. The wildfire ignition risk models are overlayed with the spread risk model, to assess which areas are most likely to facilitate initial ignition and subsequent spread. Ultimately, it appears …

Running With The Land: Racial Capitalism, Restrictive Covenants, And The Pre-Redlining Roots Of The Private Real Estate Market In Syracuse, New York, Michael Thomas Kelly

Theses - ALL

This thesis locates the roots of the private U.S. real estate market, and racially segregated housing geographies, within a broader, multi-century project of establishing, racializing, and spatializing private property in land. Using archival methods, I examine and directly connect late 18th century land speculation and settlement, early 20th century real estate capitalist class formation, and the construction of all-white suburban sub-divisions based on racially restricted covenants. I investigate the city of Syracuse – a small, post-industrial city in Upstate New York on unceded Onondaga Nation land and one of the most racially segregated cities in the United States. I argue …

Beetles Or Bureaucrats? Reconsidering The United States' Failure To Stop Dutch Elm Disease, Emily Bukowski

Dissertations - ALL

In this dissertation, I analyze the failure of the United States to address the Dutch elm disease (Ophiostoma ulmi) epidemic that affected American elm (Ulmus americana) across the country. The disease, a fungus carried by beetles between trees, was introduced in 1930 in New York City and slowly spread across the Northeast United States and beyond. A federal program to save the elm trees was in place from 1930-1952. I use archival documents to create a narrative describing the management of the disease by the Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, the division of the United States Department of Agriculture …

The Effects On Public Health Of Climate Change Adaptation Responses: A Systematic Review Of Evidence From Low- And Middle-Income Countries., Pauline F D Scheelbeek, Alan D. Dangour, Stephanie Jarmul, Grace Turner, Anne J. Sietsma, Jan C. Minx, Max Callaghan, Idowu Ajibade, Stephanie E. Austin, Robbert Biesbroek, Kathryn J. Bowen, Tara Chen, Katy Davis, Tim Ensor, James D. Ford, Eranga K. Galappaththi, Elphin T. Joe, Issah J. Musah-Surugu, Gabriela Nagle Alverio, Patricia Nayna Schwerdtle, Pratik Pokharel, Eunice A. Salubi, Giulia Scarpa, Alcade C. Segnon, Mariella Siña, Sienna Templeman, Jiren Xu, Carol Zavaleta-Cortijo, Lea Berrang-Ford

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Climate change adaptation responses are being developed and delivered in many parts of the world in the absence of detailed knowledge of their effects on public health. Here we present the results of a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature reporting the effects on health of climate change adaptation responses in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The review used the 'Global Adaptation Mapping Initiative' database (comprising 1682 publications related to climate change adaptation responses) that was constructed through systematic literature searches in Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar (2013-2020). For this study, further screening was performed to identify studies from …

A Geospatial And Statistical Analysis Of Dropout In Louisiana Public High Schools, Michael D. Stein

LSU Master's Theses

Students dropping out of high school is a nationwide problem, plaguing communities and often greatly reducing the prospects of a quality life for those students who do not complete their high school educations. Louisiana consistently has among the highest public high school dropout rates in the United States, and often the highest. This geospatial and statistical study aims to identify the factors that correlate with high school dropout in Louisiana public high schools, specifically, and to produce detailed maps of the dropout rates across the state to identify the schools most afflicted.

Extensive school-level data from five academic years (2014-15 …

Environmental Perception In Colombia's Páramo Protected Areas, Juliana Delgado

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis analyzes the gap between farmers' environmental perceptions in Téquita, a small village in Colombia, and the definition of protected areas has led to a conflict for the use of natural resources. I examine if the protected area's policies have dealt with the social and ecological issues in the páramos and recognized the social construction of the landscape, farmers' identities, and their interpretations about work and land. The case study focuses on Güina High Mountain in the Guantiva-La Rusia páramo complex, which recently the Colombian government declared as a protected area. In light of anthropologist Tim Ingold's meaning of …

An Operational Overview Of The Export Processes In The Ocean From Remote Sensing (Exports) Northeast Pacific Field Deployment, David A. Siegel, Ivona Cetinić, Jason R. Graff, Craig M. Lee, Norman Nelson, Mary Jane Perry, Inia Soto Ramos, Deborah K. Steinberg, Ken Buesseler, Roberta Hamme, Andrea J. Fassbender, David Nicholson, Melissa M. Omand, Marie Robert, Andrew Thompson, Vinicius Amaral, Michael Behrenfeld, Claudia Benitez-Nelson, Kelsey Bisson, Emmanuel Boss, Philip W. Boyd, Mark Brzezinski, Kristen Buck

Faculty Publications

The goal of the EXport Processes in the Ocean from RemoTe Sensing (EXPORTS) field campaign is to develop a predictive understanding of the export, fate, and carbon cycle impacts of global ocean net primary production. To accomplish this goal, observations of export flux pathways, plankton community composition, food web processes, and optical, physical, and biogeochemical (BGC) properties are needed over a range of ecosystem states. Here we introduce the first EXPORTS field deployment to Ocean Station Papa in the Northeast Pacific Ocean during summer of 2018, providing context for other papers in this special collection. The experiment was conducted with …